


The Negotiator and The Hero-With-No-Fear

by ShivaVixen



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate universe - canon divergent, Character Study, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, More characters to be added, Mystery, Some slightly described ick of an artificial eye, Sort of serious medical treatment, The more things change the more they stay the same, Unreliable Narrator, War Issues, basically what we saw in the show, child endangerment, discussion of slavery, how was this a kid’s show again?, i know first aid but not much else, mix of legends and old lore as well, tags to be added as story goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21674188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShivaVixen/pseuds/ShivaVixen
Summary: They are the living legends of the clone wars, but there’s something a little different about them, like a music note out of tune.Obi-Wan Kenobi seems reserved and resigned, while Anakin Skywalker suffers from nightmarish visions... yet the two are still closer than ever. Perhaps those around them can unravel the mystery before the Clone Wars come to their inevitable end.
Relationships: Ahsoka Tano & Anakin Skywalker, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 25
Kudos: 145





	1. Captain Rex 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very old idea I had, and this is technically part two of a series, but it’s the one that’s mostly completed so ... yeah.  
> I’m going try and post it in roughly chronological order, instead of episodic order.   
> I hope you enjoy and eventually the rest of the series will follow.

Rex could count on one hand the times he saw his general Anakin Skywalker slip his confidence and appear exhausted.

The first was on the mudball of a planet where General Kenobi went missing after the Jedi’s second contact with Ventress.

Rex had been a mere lieutenant then, but commander Alpha-17 had gone missing as well and he had stepped up to help his General.

It had been an uphill battle through mud and rain and abandoned mines, Skywalker’s artificial eye had been malfunctioning (and he hadn’t told anyone, just kept closing the eye and relying on the force to see until it had become too much strain) and Rex finally worked up the courage to ask if his general was okay.

Skywalker’s mask of confidence slipped, and he shook his head, finally admitting that he was in pain and constantly seeing flickering images from his artificial eye as well as feeling Obi-wan Kenobi and Alpha 17’s pain when he slept.

It was the first time that Rex realized that he needed to do more than just follow orders. He also needed to be there to help his Jedi.

He took a moment to track down a medic to shut off the eye, earning both of them a lecture about injuries that should be taken care of immediately.

It had become a turning point, the moment when everything clicked into place.

It was the reason when Skywalker suddenly took off following the feeling that Kenobi was alive, that Rex followed,ordering a few squads to follow.

The second time was when Alpha 17 ended up dying from the ordeal, and the sight of his general struggling to keep it together was the reason Rex accepted the promotion to Captain.

The third and most recent time was after Slick had betrayed them. Rex had gone to report on the repairs that were being made, only to find Skywalker and Artoo trying to repair one of the least damaged transports.

“Sir.”

“Captain, just a moment. Try it now Artoo.” Sparks promptly flew from the panel. “Shut it down!” Artoo chirped and shut it down. “Might have to use the others for parts...” Skywalker sighed and looked at Rex. “Captain?”

“General, we’re shoring up our defenses, but the traitor did a good job of hamstringing us.” Rex felt furious and hurt that one of their own had turned on them. Slick had been a good man, having him turn was a blow. Even worse was the mess he had made of his unit turning them against each other, they’d have to reassess and reassign them in order to salvage the unit.

“I’m sorry.” Skywalker’s voice cut through his frustration. He looked as exhausted as Rex felt. “I didn’t... my nightmares lately...” Skywalker shook his head. “I’ve been wrong before or caused them to happen, so I did nothing...”

“Sir, it’s not your fault. I know your visions aren’t completely reliable.” Rex assured him. “You told me that you once saw me shoot you in the back, but that will never happen.” There was no way he’d let it.

“I know.” Skywalker sighed. “Captain ... Rex ... do you think the Jedi are enslaving the clones?”

It was not a question that Rex expected.

“Sir, we were made to help you fight this war.”

“But what happens to you all if we win?” Skywalker asked. “I can’t help thinking that maybe Slick had a point.”

“Sir, he didn’t. Slick is a traitor who was willing to kill his own brothers and tried to rationalize it by demoralizing us. The Jedi are not enslaving us, you’re on the front lines doing your best to protect us.” Rex fully believed that. “Doing our duty is not enslavement.”

Skywalker looked at him and slowly nodded. “I’ll trust you to know what you’re talking about, Rex. Thank you.”

“If I may, sir, what made you ask?”

“I became a Jedi because I wanted to end slavery ... it’s a subject I’ve had bad dealings with in the past.” Skywalker picked up a tool with the force.

“I doubt one could have a good dealing with slavers, sir.” Rex offered.

“You’re right about that. Hold this panel for me?”

The subject was dropped for now, and Skywalker’s later unease about the Hutt’s was mostly ignored.

Still, Rex kept an eye on his general. The longer the war went on, the more frequent it was that Rex would see his mask slip.


	2. Ahsoka Tano 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka arrives, and she will convince Skywalker she’s worthy to be his Padawan... somehow.

Ahsoka Tano did her best to look professional as her ship brought her closer to her future master, the Jedi Knight Skywalker.

He and his master were legendary, most younglings and padawan hopefuls were dreaming about being chosen by them (or any of the council members, really) and Master Yoda had selected her to be Skywalker’s Padawan. And deliver a message. She shouldn’t forget that part.

“The droids are in retreat. We’re landing now.” The pilot announced.

Ahsoka was up and by the door a little faster than necessary, and she did her best to project confidence.

She needed it. Knight Skywalker’s artificial eye (lost to an assassin, and how cool was that) was a little disconcerting to look at, as was the knowledge that he had lost a hand to the separatist leader as well. The stories that the Padawans and younglings heard were usually either vague rumors or highly embellished gossip by the more imaginative ones.

Master Kenobi and Skywalker were surprised by her arrival. And obviously less than pleased, as when she relayed the message, it was met with disbelief from both of them.

“We’re in no position to go anywhere or do anything! We’ve been trying to get a message out for a while, now, we need supplies and reinforcements.” Master Kenobi looked exasperated. A sentiment shared by Knight Skywalker.

“Great, since when does no communication mean we’re all right?!” He looked really annoyed, Master Kenobi put a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, the cruiser that brought me is still in orbit, maybe you could send a message through?” Ahsoka offered.

Both of them practically rushed to the comm unit, Skywalker was quick to get it set up for use, and Master Kenobi immediately began asking the admiral to patch them to Coruscant the moment it connected. Both of them seemed to have forgotten her entirely.

Which was understandable, if a little frustrating.

Knight Skywalker gave a low growl of frustration when their communications with Master Yoda were cut off.

“We’ll just have to hold on a little longer, that’s all.” Master Kenobi assured him, before turning to Ahsoka. “Forgive us, we didn’t properly introduce ourselves.”

“I’m Ahsoka Tano, the new Padawan Learner.” She didn’t know if she should bow or stand straighter. This was it!

“I’m Obi-wan Kenobi, your new Master, I am at your disposal.”

Ahsoka looked at him, and the smile he tried to give didn’t reach his eyes, which looked so sad. It was a little disconcerting.

“Thank you Master Kenobi, but I’ve actually been assigned to Knight Skywalker.” Ahsoka explained. It was hard to tell, but the look of surprise didn’t feel like he was surprised.

“What? I didn’t request a Padawan, he did!” Knight Skywalker on the other hand looked a little frustrated.

“Master Yoda was quite clear.” Ahsoka just barely managed to not fidget. That, wasn’t really the reaction she was hoping for. Be confident, she told herself, and hoped she could convince him that she was worthy to be his Padawan.

Skywalker sighed. “I bet he was. C’mon, youngling, I better show you around... we’ll see if you want to stick around after we get out of this mess.”

“I’m a Padawan!” Ahsoka was indignant at being called a youngling, she had earned her rank of Padawan. She followed after him, behind her, Master Kenobi was called away by a clone.

“We’ll see.” Skywalker lead her away from the command center. She was surprised when he started talking to her. “I didn’t apply for a Padawan, and I suspect Obi-wan and Master Yoda decided I needed one despite my feelings about bringing a Padawan into a war ... that’s not an insult to you, but the fact is I keep track of the casualty lists. You stay, you won’t be getting regular training from me, and that might become a problem for you later on, when the war ends. Right now, there’s nothing to do but give a trial run.”

“I’m not scared, and I’ll prove that I can handle it!” Ahsoka was not giving up that easily on becoming a knight, and she was a little surprised when she saw the corner of his mouth twitch up, a small smile appearing on his face.

“We’ll see.” He repeated, and gestured for her to follow.

The pair got odd looks from the clones. Ahsoka was torn between looking around and keeping up with her new master.

Everyone seemed to be doing something. Skywalker lead the way to a spot that over looked the encampment.

“I could use some good news, Captain.”

“Droids aren’t moving, but they are gearing up- uh, sir? What’s with the youngling?” The clone Captain looked at her then at Skywalker.

“I’m his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano!”

The Captain looked surprised. “General I thought you said you didn’t want a Padawan?”

Was it that well known? Ahsoka was a little worried at that.

“We’re giving it a trial run, since we can’t safely get her out of here.” Skywalker explained. “Ahsoka, this is Captain Rex, he’ll show you around for a bit.”

“Sir-“ the Captain started, but stopped and nodded. “Alright.”

Skywalker left before Ahsoka could stop him.

“Follow me, I’ll show you the camp.” Rex offered.

“Where’s Skyguy going?” Ahsoka asked.

“Since we have no idea how long reinforcements will take, I’ll tell you.” Rex sighed. “It’s an open secret around the 501st, but the General usually has a mix of visions and just plain nightmares just before a battle. He doesn’t say what they are, and we don’t ask, but if he ducks out of a responsibility it’s usually to find a place to meditate before battle, so we cover for him.”

“Oh.” Ahsoka was a little in awe. Visions were actually a rare phenomenon, only a handful of Jedi ever had them. That visions could affect one physically were descriptions younglings and Padawans only heard about in stories from vague second hand accounts like how one Jedi was unable to walk after a vision, or another had their hair turn grey. Premonitions from the force were far more common.

She would be able to learn a lot from Skyguy if she could just get him to agree to keep her as a Padawan.

“So, what’s first?” Ahsoka asked Rex, trying to keep her confidence up.

The tour was quick, even with the clones stopping to stare briefly before getting back to work.

It was also kinda fun, Rex was nice, if a little serious, and he introduced her to several of the clones as well as explained the chain of command.

There were actually two battalions of clones here, the 501st under Skywalker, and the 212th under Master Kenobi. Commander Cody of the 212th was injured and in the medical tent.

“So if you’re a Captain and I’m Jedi, then technically I outrank you.” Ahsoka clarified once the explanation was over.

“In my book, experience outranks everything.” Rex returned.

“Well, I best start getting experience, then.” Ahsoka paused, spotting a pink dome shining in the distance. “What’s that?”

“An energy shield ... looks like you’re about to get that experience.” Rex turned and began leading the way back to command as he brought his communicator up to speak into. “General, we’ve got a problem.”

“I noticed.” Skywalker’s voice didn’t come from the communicator.

Ahsoka turned as Skywalker seem to have emerged from practically nowhere. Rex didn’t look surprised.

“Keep up, Snips.” Skywalker gave a short nod to Rex and took the lead.

“My name’s Ahsoka!” Ahsoka objected to the nickname. She moved so he had to look at her.

“And mine’s not Skyguy.” Skywalker looked amused. “Don’t get snippy with me if you can’t take it as well as you can give it.”

“I can take whatever you dish out, Skyguy!” Ahsoka promised, bursting with indignation.

Behind them, she heard Rex muffle a laugh. A quick glance back showed a barely covered smile.

And somehow, that moment felt familiar. Skyguy looking at her in amused exasperation and Rex smiling ... this felt right. This was where she was meant to be.

Ahsoka just had to prove it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will continue with Ahsoka’s POV.


	3. Ahsoka Tano 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka’s more than ready for her journey to begin. She just has to convince everyone else of that.

“If that shield reaches the heavy canons, we’re through.” Was the judgement from Master Kenobi once he heard the problem.

“If it’s going to be such a problem, why don’t we just disable it?” Ahsoka asked, Rex and Master Kenobi looked at her.

“There’s no safe way through.” Rex explained, but Master Kenobi looked backed at the model.

“I actually agree with her. A couple people with charges might be able to sneak through the lines.” Skyguy offered. 

“Then that’s what you two will do. The Captain and I will keep the droids attentions on us.” Kenobi straightened.

“Let’s go, Master!” Ahsoka began to walk away.

“Hold up there, Snips, do you know how to set a wireless detonator?” Skyguy stopped her.

She did not. “I’ll learn as we go!”

“We survive this, remind me to go over basic military weapons with you.”

They got the charges from the supply officer, who watched warily as Skyguy explained how to sync each charge to her gauntlet so that they would all be set off at the same time.

She took the backpack of charges before he could. She wouldn’t give him the slightest chance of teasing her.

Then she had to follow him up to another lookout spot only for him to sit there and stare at the oncoming droids through binoculars.

“Shouldn’t we be doing ... something?”

“We are, it’s called reconnaissance, or recon, and you always want to know what you’re up against when your plan calls for stealth.” Skyguy didn’t look away from whatever he was seeing through them.

“The droids are marching under the shield, I can see that from here.” Ahsoka drily remarked.

“And how is that shield going through it’s surroundings? Some energy shields are known to short out technology they pass over. Others burn organic matter.”

Okay, he had a point about that. “So we just go around them. No problem.”

“That would take more time and risk the others’ lives unnecessarily.”

Ahsoka grimaced slightly. So it was a bad plan. “Then we go though the center and fight our way through?” She offered.

“Again, that would take too much time, and as good as I am, that many droids is definitely pushing my limits.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. Like she wouldn’t be there to help him. “Then I suppose my first lesson is to wait until you come up with a plan, Master.”

“Wait’s over, I have a plan.” He smirked at her. “Come on Snips, I do know what I’m doing.” He lead the way back down, the shield was getting closer, and he had her help him pick up a container that appeared to have been abandoned when the city had.

“Master?” Ahsoka asked as they dragged it into the middle of the street.

“Sometimes simple is best. Under the box, Snips.”

“We’re in the middle of the street, hiding under a box, how is this a good plan?” She demanded as she joined him under the box.

“The droids are ignoring and going around debris. They won’t even notice us.”

To her annoyance, he was right. The droids paid no attention to the box.

“If you can’t cross enemy lines safely, let their lines cross over you.” He explained as the tanks rumbled around them.

That actually made no sense to Ahsoka, but she didn’t want to admit it. The rumbling stopped and after a moment Skyguy began crawling, pushing the box as he went and forcing her to keep up.

After a few moments of this, Ahsoka had enough. There was a lot of fine debris on the ground, and she was scraping the skin off her arms.

“This is taking too long, I’m standing up.” She got up, Skyguy following suit.

“Snips, you need to think before you ac-ck!” The box slammed into something and was heavy enough to knock them both off balance. It was a droideka.

Ahsoka quickly parried the bolts, but they didn’t do anything to the shield. “Master, the shield’s too strong!”

“Run!” He ordered, deflecting more bolts.

“Jedi don’t run!” Ahsoka wasn’t going to be a coward!

“I said Run!” 

This time the order was accompanied by him turning and starting to run. Ahsoka reluctantly followed and heard the droideka rolling after them.

“Stop!”

“Make up your mind!” Ahsoka snapped.

“Just stop!” He did so and the droid rolled straight into his lightsaber, cutting it in half. She followed that with a cut of her own. “I see you take orders well.” He looked a little annoyed.

Ahsoka recognized the censure, and winced. He was probably keeping a tally of things she was doing, and any one thing could mean he’d send her back to the temple- how could she face her former classmates then?

She had to do better.

It was a fairly short trip to the generator. There weren’t any guards around it either!

“Let’s go!” She started to rush forward.

“Snips, don’t!” She suddenly found herself floating in the air as Skyguy pulled her back with the force. “Look at the ground. See those antennas?”

Ahsoka did. “What do they do?”

“I don’t know, but I know a trap when I see one.” He picked up a rock and threw it so it hit an antenna. A large droid came up out of the ground. “Go set the charges and don’t hit the antennas.” He moved to cut down the droid

Ahsoka had to be careful, but there was an obvious path left by the droids, so she didn’t hit any antennas. She quickly placed all the charges.

“Charges set?” Skyguy asked.

“Yep!” She carefully made her way over.

“Then what are you waiting for?” He asked and glanced at the smoke in the distance.

“Right!” She hit the button and the ground shuddered as the explosions went off.

The shield dissipated and Ahsoka wondered if she had done enough to prove herself. She sat down, exhausted from projecting confidence all the time.

“Your reckless, little one.” Skyguy sat next to her, and Ahsoka was certain that he was going to dismiss her. “I don’t know if you would make it as Obi-Wan’s Padawan, but you might just make it as mine.”

Ahsoka looked up in surprise. He gave her a small smile, and for a moment, she thought she could see him with both his original eyes. The smoke from the droid reminded her of a campfire for a moment as well.

“I won’t let you down, Master Anakin.” She stumbled slightly on his name, not sure if she was pushing too far, but the smile he was giving her didn’t change.

“No danger of that. But I would like you to listen to me in the middle of combat. Especially if I yell ‘down’ or ‘duck’ or ‘cover’.” He put a hand on her shoulder, then paused. “You’re a little scrapped up, is that from the crawling?”

Her elbows were sore, and there were a couple places on her side from the occasional slip. “I’m fine, Master, really.”

“Ahsoka, you’re reporting to medical to get a couple bacta patches. Scrapes can and will get infected on the battlefield.” He rubbed at his artificial eye. “I have half a mind to get you some armor ...”

“Is your eye okay?” Now that she was looking at it, it didn’t seem as odd.

“The calibration occasionally gets thrown off and it will recalibrate on its own. Meanwhile, everything flickers.” His communicator chimed.

“General Skywalker, are you there?”

“Captain, I and my Padawan are here. Could use a pickup, though.”

“On our way, sir.”

“Ready for our next mission, Snips?” He asked as the transport landed.

“Of course, Master.” She followed him, and shot a grin at Rex who returned it with a smile.

“I see our new commander made it out alright.” Rex noted, and Ahsoka wasn’t able to control her smile at that.

“Yes she did. Remind me to set up a couple drills during downtime so she can learn the different formations.” Her master gave her a wry smile. “Fighting as a unit is different from the dueling we normally learn.”

She nodded, listening as Rex gave Master Anakin a summary of events from the battle. The flight was oddly peaceful.

Unfortunately the newfound inner peace was very quickly ended when Master Kenobi and Master Yoda greeted them and offered to take her away!

“Hold on, I admit I don’t approve of bringing Padawans into battlefields and my concerns are still as strong as ever.” Master Anakin started. “But Padawan Tano has proven herself to be willing to learn and I would be honored to continue her training.” Master Anakin glanced at her with a smile, one she returned.

“Glad to hear it, I am.” Master Yoda smiled. “Your new mission, rescue the son of Jabba the Hutt.”

“The hutts?” Master Anakin immediately looked at Master Kenobi.

“We need their space lanes, Anakin. I’m going to Negotiate with Jabba.”

“Be careful. If someone is willing to risk Jabba’s ire, this is definitely a trap.” Master Anakin looked uneasy. “Jabba’s known to change his mind and go back on his word if the mood strikes him. And he won’t be in a good mood.”

“I do know the danger Anakin, you and Ahsoka just need to rescue Jabba’s son.” Master Kenobi assured him.

“Easier said than done.” Master Anakin gave a polite bow to Master Yoda. “Let’s go.”

He lead the way to the ship. Captain Rex rejoined them.

“We’re almost done loading, General.” He was wearing his helmet again.

“Good, as soon as everyone’s aboard we’ll take off. Where’s Kix?”

“Loading medical supplies. Are you alright, General?”

“My eye is having trouble recalibrating, and Ahsoka needs those scrapes cleaned up.”

“I’m fine!” Ahsoka objected. “They’re just scrapes.” They didn’t even sting that much!

“Open wounds can get infected, commander. They need to be treated.” Rex informed her. “Frankly you need better armor, even Jedi can be hit by shrapnel.”

“You two better not be coddling me!” Hadn’t she proved she wasn’t a youngling?

“Far from it, Snips. You’ll see.”

Kix, it turned out, was a lot more concerned about the scrapes than her master and Rex were. They had just recommended putting bacta patches on.

“Do none of you read the basic first aid regs?! You can’t just put bacta patches on!” Kix somehow got her to sit down on the medical berth next to Master Anakin, who had his artificial eye hooked up to a machine (it made her squirm to look at). “You need to clean them first, there could be shards of glass in there. I’m going to do your elbows first, this may sting.”

Ahsoka did her best to stay still but, “Ow! Hey, that hurts worse than when I scraped them!”

“All due respect commander, but that’s a good thing. Force forbid you turn out like certain other Jedi who don’t immediately come to me when they are having trouble with their artificial eye.” Kix looked at Master Anakin in annoyance as he placed bacta patches on her elbows. “Is it too much to ask for Jedi to have common sense?”

“Well, we do have the force, so that compensates for the lack of common sense, I’m told.”

“You were lied to sir, it does not.” Kix looked at back at Ahsoka. “I need to clean the scrape on your side, I’ll only be touching the wound, is that all right?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Ahsoka asked, baffled. “Weren’t you just saying it needed to be cleaned?”

“Medical SOP, Snips, he has to ask if you’re okay with him touching you since you’re conscious and not critically wounded.” Master Anakin explained.

“Why- ow! Son of a bantha!” She swore before she caught herself.

“Wonderful, she’s already able to curse her medics.” Kix looked at Master Anakin in disapproval as he placed the final bacta patch on.

“There’s literally an underground trade of insults that younglings and Padawans learn from. You can’t blame her language on me yet.” He hissed as Kix removed the wire. Ahsoka perked up at the sound of a huttese swear she hadn’t heard before. “Don’t use that one Snips. I’ll teach you huttese later and you’ll see why.”

“Okay.” Ahsoka smiled. Most of her huttese was limited to swears and a couple different greetings. “So, what’s the plan for the mission?”

She was more than ready for this. No matter what happened, she was ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brought to you by the fact I once did a Naval Jr ROTC boot camp where the medical officer was exasperated with me for not reporting a sunburn and a lightly scraped hand. 
> 
> I’m trying to figure out the timelines for when the named clones are in the 501st. It’s still early in the war so not many have distinguished themselves. Ooh, that gives me an idea.
> 
> Next up is Rex again, then the movie arc will be wrapped up in a couple more chapters after that and we move on to the malevolence arc and a brief glimpse at some other characters. I have notes on the timeline, but there’s a lot of murky areas.


	4. Captain Rex 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex is getting whiplash from how quickly this new mission is going from good to bad to good to worse to good again.

It said something about recent events that droids at the monastery were almost expected. Rex could hear Kix cursing the separatists as they climbed, the medic unable to rescue any of their fallen and falling brothers.

The medic had been brought in case the kidnappers had harmed Jabba’s son, but at this point it might have been smarter to leave him on the ship.

The new Padawan commander went flying by, landing on one of the AT-ETs and began blocking the bolts that were being fired at it.

Jedi. Rex saw General Skywalker launch himself off the cliff face to Kix’s dismay, only to come back with one of the separatists weapons and blast a path up.

It was always interesting to watch- General Kenobi rarely wasted movements, and while General Skywalker was similar, it was always to a point. If the seps continued pushing, Skywalker would be quick to turn their own weapons on them. General Kenobi was usually disapproving of the methods, but Rex personally preferred it when Skywalker did... it certainly made scaling the wall easier.

Kix was busy looking after any injured that had managed to keep scaling up the cliff, so once the building was secure and the caretaker droid found, the General took the commander in to look for the Hutt.

It was obvious the general wasn’t pleased to be rescuing a crime lord’s son, and Rex found himself siding with his General- dealing with criminals may be the mission, but they didn’t have to like it. (No matter what General Kenobi said.)

To be honest he was not expecting his General to come back out carrying a very tiny huttlet in his arms, the commander right behind and looking around. “Kix, you’ve got a patient. Rex, call for pick up, I’ve got a bad feeling about this and I can’t tell why.”

“Right away sir.” Rex nodded, opening the comm. as Kix went over to help the general. “This is Captain Rex calling for pick up.” His attention was only half on the comm, the rest was on his General.

“Easy.” Kix soothed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m going with battle droids make horrible caretakers.” The General muttered something in huttese as the huttlet fussed, it cooed up at the General in response.

“Hey, where’s that caretaker droid?” The commander asked. “Did it wander off?”

The General rocked on his feet and shoved the huttlet into Kix’s arms as he whirled, eyes snapping up as his lightsaber ignited.

Rex didn’t question why he had reacted like that, he fired several rounds into the openings he could see above them.

The last time the General had reacted like that, there had been a sniper.

“Sir?” Rex asked as he stopped firing.

“We need pick up now.” The General was glaring up. “Ahsoka, protect Kix and the Hutt!”

“Sir, we’re under attack!” Rex’s comm sqwaked. “Droid sh-“ The communication cut off and Rex glanced up to see ships entering the atmosphere.

“Inside!” The General ordered, sending Kix and the Commander in first and covering the rest of the team as they retreated.

“Master, we can’t stay here.” The Commander looked up from where she was helping Kix. “We have to get stinky back to his home!”

While the commander’s concern about the mission was admirable, that was not the best way to voice it.

“I know, Padawan, but we need a plan, there are separatists between us and pick up, and there may still be enemies in here.” The General looked at her. “Kix, how’s he doing?”

“Feverish and seems to be in some discomfort ...” Kix took the Huttlet and gently began rubbing its stomach. To the commander’s dismay, the Huttlet belched, green fumes almost visible in the poor light. “Ah, gas build up, can cause pain and fever in children, they can’t always regulate without outside aide. Other than that, he’s fine.” Kix sounded relieved. The huttlet started trying to reach for the General.

“Fascinating.” Grumbled another brother.

“That’s one problem off the list.”

“Master, I may have a plan ... with Artoo’s help.” The commander gestured to the Astromech in question. “There should be a place for him to plug in if there’s a caretaker droid, we might be able to find a back way out.”

“We’d have to split up. General Kenobi is on his way, but we need to make sure we’re still here when he does.”

“We’ll guard the door, sir.”

“Alright, we’ll take the Hutt with us. Kix?”

“I’ll stick with my brothers, sir.”

“Be careful. Ahsoka, Artoo, let’s go.” They took a spare pack with them to carry the Huttlet, which kept trying to cling onto the General.

“Aw, he likes you, Master!”

“I don’t know why.” The General sighed.

It wasn’t long after that things got complicated when the droids came through the door.

Rex had been lucky. He was mostly unharmed, just slammed against the wall. And he definitely recognized the woman leading the droids. Asaji Ventress, Dooku’s assassin.

He felt justified trying to shoot her, she was dangerous. Especially if she was here for the Hutt.

She retaliated by choking him, and right as dark spots started to cloud his vision, she let him go.

“You will call Skywalker.”

He actually felt it, the compulsion temporarily clouded his mind. “I ...” He was surprised when it cleared, and thinking quickly he continued, “will call Skywalker.” He had one shot at warning his General that they were in trouble. “Anakin, this is Rex, come in.”

“You’ve routed the droids, ask what his location is.” Ventress demanded

“We’ve routed the droids. What is your location, Anakin?” Rex was going to have to apologize for being so familiar, and his communicator made a sound as if someone had tapped twice. The General had caught on.

Ventress wasn’t pleased. “I’ll look for him myself! Take the clones out to the courtyard, they may still be useful!” Red and his still living brothers were escorted outside.

“Sir, what do we do?” Kix asked, he looked like he was limping.

“We wait, hopefully the General and the Commander don’t get caught.”

“Quiet!”

Things weren’t quiet for long.

“Captain? Rex?” The commander’s voice came over his comm. “Rexster? We kinda have a problem here.”

“What’s that?” The Droids were apparently easily distracted. “It’s coming from the prisoner!”

“Come here and I’ll show you how it works.” Behind him someone coughed.

It was almost too easy, taking them off guard, but that was mitigated by his answering the call. “Rex here.”

“We found the back exit, but we’ve been cut off by Ventress, are you okay?”

“We could use some backup.”

“Allow me.” A familiar voice cut in over the comms. “I’ll take Ventress, you two get the Hutt out of here.” A familiar went past and into the structure, while newly arrived clones clambered up the cliff.

Kenobi and the 212th had arrived.

“Are you sure-“ Skywalker would try to get to them if he could, Rex knew that.

“Sir, it’s alright, the mission comes first.”

There was no response, and Rex wasn’t expecting one as a ship flew past, a clunker that managed to outfly the droid ships.

“I see you managed to get in trouble without me.” Commander Cody scoffed, coming up.

“Shouldn’t you still be on bed rest?” Rex asked, returning fire.

“I’m fine. Where’s Kenobi?”

And this was where Rex wished he could think of a lie. “Chasing Ventress.”

“What.” Cody was glaring at him, and Rex winced.

Thankfully, the droids retreated not long after, which gave them time to do a quick clean up of the remaining droids. Rex headed up to the area that Skywalker had been glaring at.

The caretaker droid was surrounded by the remains of two battle droids. Rex had a bad feeling about this. “I need the memory from this droid!”

“Captain, what have you found?” Kenobi asked as he came to see why Rex had left the battlefield.

It didn’t take long to get back to the ship and get the droid hooked up to diagnostic equipment.

The caretaker droid had been working with Ventress. The Separatists were behind the kidnapping and trying to frame the Jedi, and there was a very good chance his General and his new Commander were walking into a trap.

“We need to go after them.”

“We’re repairing damages as fast as possible. Anakin does know Tatooine better than anyone here.” Kenobi stared at the droids memories that were still playing.

“Sir, message from the chancellor!”

“Patch it through.” Kenobi was the picture of professionalism.

“Kenobi!” The Chancellor, on the other hand looked flustered. “Jabba has severed all communication, he’s claiming that the Jedi kidnapped his son!”

“That would be what count Dooku wants him to believe, I’m afraid. According to this droid’s memories.” Kenobi sighed. “Looks like Anakin was right about the trap, only he’s the one walking into it. We’ll follow him as soon as repairs are completed.”

“There must be something that can be done.” The Chancellor looked grave as he regained his composure.

“If there is, it’s not something we can do.”

“I see. That’s grave news indeed. I will continue trying to re-establish communication with Jabba.” The Chancellor ended the call abruptly.

Rex looked at General Kenobi, who was staring at nothing. “Sir?”

There were times when Rex could almost swear that Kenobi flinched when he or Cody got his attention. He was a good general, much like Skywalker, but he was far more reserved.

“Sorry, Captain, what is it?”

“Are you alright sir?” Rex hadn’t bothered asking Kenobi such a question unless the Jedi was obviously injured. Skywalker usually would look after him.

“I’m fine, Captain, thank you.” Kenobi straightened. “Commander Cody, status report?”

As Repairs were quickly completed, Rex hoped they would be able to at least rescue Skywalker and young Tano. He didn’t want a new General and the Commander, while still new, definitely improved morale.

Tano’s excitement over successful completion of a mission was endearing, and if they lost her so quickly it would not be good for morale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else notice how Rotta (Jabba’s son) kept trying to get Anakin’s attention throughout the movie? It’s sort of like how a cat goes to the person in the room that’s allergic, but it’s kind of funny to me.


	5. Ashoka Tano 3

When stories were told at the temple, they usually left out the embarrassing parts.

Ahsoka was never going to admit to anyone at the temple that she hadn’t known that the button to jettison the cargo hold was also on the console. 

“Artoo, how are the shields?” Now that they were safely in hyperspace, Master Anakin was having them work on the ship, which looked fine if a little clunky to her.

“So, what’s Tatooine like?” Ahsoka asked, maybe he’d start talking about it.

“A lot of sand.” He sighed. “Only outdoor entertainment is racing.” He stepped down and the display apparently lit up correctly. “I don’t have a lot of good memories here.”

“Why?” Ahsoka asked.

“Because every time I get near here something terrible happens.” He briefly rubbed at his eye. “I’ll teach you a few tricks, though, how good are you at levitating things? Pass me that wrench.”

With a grin, she levitated it up to him. He gave her a small smile in return.

Stinky cooed, before yawning. 

“Sleepy time, little guy.” Ahsoka found a fairly clean rag to wrap the huttlet in and gently put him on a shelf to nap.

It was kinda fun, learning about how to repair the ship as Master Anakin asked her what her strengths and weaknesses were. 

“Now Artoo just has to finish with the shields and cannons.” Her master sat down. The astromech chirped.

Naturally that’s when they got attacked.

Crash landing was not fun.

Ahsoka was still fascinated by the prospect of being on her Master’s home planet, though she was a little let down by the view. “You weren’t kidding about the sand.” She didn’t see anything but sand. And bones that had been stripped clean of any flesh.

“Why do people think I exaggerate about it?” Master Anakin sounded exasperated. “It’s useful for jamming machinery as well as fooling sensors.” He stretched a hand out, and a bunch of sand lifted off the ground. “It’s not easy, but it’s a good trick to learn. Your priority is going to be stealth.”

It was a useful trick, especially to sneak past the droids. And her Master looked really happy when he met her outside the door. Only, Jabba wasn’t happy with them. Dooku apparently said they were the ones who kidnapped Stinky.

Her master was clenching his fists and speaking Huttese in a tone that was barely polite. He was also straightened to his full height, and she could feel the practical wall he had raised around them in the force. It slightly muffled her own senses, but she had the odd feeling of safety like that.

The rescue that came was from a hologram. A senator that had the mastermind behind Jabba’s son’s kidnapping, another Hutt with flamboyant markings. 

Master Anakin was relieved. “My most sincere gratitude, Senator, on behalf of myself and my Padawan.”

The tone immediately changed, and a party started, celebrating the return of Jabba’s son. “Master, does the little guy have a name?” Ahsoka asked, curious. 

Anakin politely relayed the question. Earning a laugh from Jabba.

“Rotta.” Jabba wasn’t letting go of his son, and the little guy was happy being tucked into his father’s arm, but Rotta waved at her and master Anakin happily when his name was spoken.

Anakin’s comm. beeped, and Ahsoka was relieved to hear they were being picked up soon. A couple of the people there were looking at her oddly, it gave her a chill through the force, so she stayed close to Master Anakin, Rotta and Jabba. Jabba humored her when she started playing peekaboo with Rotta to pass the time.

Master Anakin appeared unbothered, he made small talk and was perfectly polite the entire time until it was time to leave.

Ahsoka did her best to copy him until then.

* * *

“Looks like you made it safely.” Rex greeted them on their return to the ship.

“Just barely. Can we make a brief pickup? That clunker might be useful for future stealth missions.”

Ashoka was accosted by Kix, who was scowling at the fact sand was in the bacta patches now.

As a result, she ended up losing track of Master Anakin.

“Hey, Captain? Where’s Master Anakin?”

“He’s looking over that clunker we recovered. Come on, I’ll show you.”

It turned out Master Anakin was in the clunker on a comm unit, talking to someone she didn’t know.

“Sad. Beru miscarried.” The hologram was saying to her master.

“I’m sorry to hear that, I was looking forward to a niece or nephew I could impress.”

“You’d have to be on planet then.” The holo sighed. “You should leave the Jedi, this war has nothing to do with you, just come home. You could just be a pilot or something.” 

“I can’t leave now, I’ve got a Padawan and my Battalion to look after.”

“A Padawan? War’s no place for children, Ani, what are they thinking?!” The hologram almost shouted.

“I’m not in charge, Owen, all I can do is teach her and make sure as many of my men make it back in one piece.”

“You can bring the Padawan too, if the Jedi are using child soldiers...”

“I’ll keep it in mind, Owen, thank you.”

“We’re here, Anakin, whenever you need us.”

“I know.” 

“Master? Who was that?” Ahsoka watched as he put the communicator into a compartment in Artoo.

“My brother, Owen. He and his wife live there.” Anakin looked tired. “He doesn’t agree with the war.”

“Why?”

“Because ...” her master paused. “Tatooine is a harsh planet, the Hutts control the space ports, the tusken raiders attack settlements without much provocation, and, well, the settlers are also known to attack the raiders if they spot them, so the first rule of the more lawful people hold to is that you can only trust your family and the second is call on your guild if you need help. If a fight breaks out, their first action will be to grab family members and pull them to safety, try to wait it out.” Anakin gave a wry smile. “As far as Owen’s concerned, I’m right in the line of fire when I don’t have to be; and because he can’t protect me, he complains.”

“That sounds frustrating, sir.” Rex offered.

“He’s my brother, Rex, we might frustrate each other, but that doesn’t mean we stop looking out for each other’s best interests.” Anakin smiled. “I’m sure you know the feeling.”

“I suppose I do, Sir.” Rex looked a little uncomfortable. 

Master Anakin noticed and changed the subject. “So, now that we’ve got some downtime, let’s start teaching Ahsoka battle formations. I’m thinking we’ll start with the holo simulations first, before we move to drills with the men. What do you think captain?”

“Considering we’re all recovering from the past few days, that sounds fine, it will give us a chance to break in whatever shinies they send us as well.”

“Sound good, Padawan?”

“Sounds good, Master.” Ahsoka listened as Rex explained the way the holo simulations worked, and then Master Anakin began running the simulation for her to figure out.

Ahsoka was having fun trying to spot holes in her master’s defenses, Rex giving her advice that she occasionally ignored after it turned out one of his suggestions was actually a trap.

“Some times intel isn’t accurate, you’re a Jedi, you need to learn how to discern what intel is necessary and what is not.”

That was how Master Kenobi found them. “I take it the word sleep is no longer in your vocabularies? Even Master Yoda has retired.”

“Sorry, I was still a little keyed up.” Anakin looked a the chronometer. “Time to bunk for the night.”

“I’m not tired!” Ahsoka’s defense was ruined by a yawn.

“We can work on it in the morning, my stubborn Padawan.” 

“Now that’s a familiar sentence.” Master Obi-wan looked amused.

“Master, I was headstrong, remember?” Master Anakin grinned at him. Master Kenobi looked bemused.

“Really, Anakin?”

“It’s a different word.” He insisted. 

Ahsoka giggled. Anakin ushered her to her room, which was a little bare. “I’m just down the hall.”

As far as stories went, this first mission with her master was a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the conversation with Owen is a slight clue to things that have changed. 
> 
> Next Chapter will take a bit, I need to find my notes on the timeline again.


End file.
